1. Field
The invention relates to a wet-type dust collector for a vacuum cleaner which collects dust using water, and more particularly, to a wet-type dust collector for a vacuum cleaner which is capable of efficiently preventing leakage of water filled in the wet-type dust collector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a vacuum cleaner, which operates to separate dust using centrifugal force, and a wet-type dust collector with improved dust separating efficiency, filling an interior of a dust bin with water and collecting dust using the water, has been distributed.
A conventional wet-type dust collector may have an increasingly contaminated interior due to foreign matters combined with water when the water of the dust bin is discharged outside the wet-type dust collector through an exhaust outlet of the dust bin, possibly resulting in hygienic problems. Further, if the water leaks inside the vacuum cleaner and enters the fan motor unit, the interior of the fan motor unit may be corroded and moisture or water may overflow outside the vacuum cleaner.
Accordingly, various constructions have been suggested to prevent the leakage of the water of the dust bin of a wet-type dust collector into the vacuum cleaner.
One of such examples is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-102124 (‘Conventional art 1’), Japanese Patent No. 3291377 (‘Conventional art 2’), and Korean Patent Publication No. 2006-0101060 (‘Conventional art 3’).
Conventional art 1 discloses a wet-type dust collector constructed such that a floater is provided inside a dust bin to close an exhaust outlet of a dust bin by rising in accordance with the rise of the water level.
Conventional art 2 discloses a vacuum cleaner in which a pre-filter with a floater accommodated in a fluid communicating port thereof is connected to a fan motor unit so that the floater closes the fluid communicating port as the level of water rises in the water tank.
Conventional art 3 discloses a wet-type dust collector in which a floater is arranged inside a filter installed at an exhaust outlet of a dust bin, to close the exhaust outlet by rising in response to the introduction of water into the filter.
As explained above, the conventional arts prevent the leakage of water into the vacuum cleaner by using a floater which floats on water and rises in accordance with the increasing water level as the water is over-charged in the dust bin or the like.
However, since the conventional arts are constructed to close the exhaust outlet of the dust bin by the floater which rises in accordance with the water level, reliability of preventing water leakage into the vacuum cleaner deteriorates. That is, if water shakes while the vacuum cleaner is driven, the floater alone cannot prevent the leakage of water through the exhaust outlet efficiently. Further, if water drops (droplets) are generated from the water, it is impossible to prevent leakage of such droplets in the exhausted air to outside of the wet-type dust collector.
Further, in conventional arts 2 and 3 in which the floater is arranged inside a vertical exhaust pipe of a centrifuging portion, the suction force at the upper portion of the exhaust pipe is directly transmitted to the surface of the water on which the floater is positioned. Accordingly, the water shakes can occur by the suction force on the surface of the water on which the floater is positioned. In this case, if the droplets are generated by the water shakes, it is impossible to prevent leakage of the generated droplets to outside of the wet type dust collector due to the suction force.
Further, although the water of the dust collecting device such as dust bin or water tank is at such a level that does not cause the floater to close the exhaust outlet, at high water level, water can be discharged out of the wet-type dust collector due to suction force generated in the driving of the vacuum cleaner, and leaked into the vacuum cleaner.
In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems in the conventional arts, an object of the following disclosure is to provide a wet-type dust collector for use in a vacuum cleaner which is capable of efficiently preventing leakage of water filled in the wet-type dust collector.
Further, another object of the invention is to provide a wet-type dust collector for use in a vacuum cleaner in which shaking of water filling in the wet-type dust collector due to suction force during operation of the vacuum cleaner, or leakage of the water along an exhaust pipe unit in a slip stream of the dust collector, is prevented.